Electric railway



(No Model.)

R. M. HUNTER.

.ELBGTRIG RAILWAY.

Patented Aug. 12, 1890.

ru: noms ravens c'o., mom-uws., msmuawu, n. c.

d UNITEDv STATES PATENT OEEIcE;

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, OE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 434,390, dated August 12, 1890.

Original application filed January 26, V1887, Serial No. 225,498. Divided and this application tiled May 15, 1890. Serial No. 351,865.

' v (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, of the city and county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Electric Railways, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

My invention has reference to electric railways g and it consists in certain improvements, all of which are fully set forth in the following specification, and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form part thereof.

This specification (Case 141) is a division of my application, Serial No. 225,498, filed January 26, 1887, and relates particularly to the construction of the collectors and road-bed, including the conduit; but sufficient additional elements have been appended to make the constructions fully understood. The principles 'of construction are the essential features, and

hence the structures specifically shown are only for the illustration of such features. The current-collector is supported upon an independent truck capable of lateral movement and has depending oblique contactshoes which project through the slot of the conduit to make contact with the conductors located therein. The contact-shoes are connected together and are capable, as an entirety, of having movement about a vertical axis. The conduit is formed of metal supported by cast-iron brackets atintervals apart, and to which brackets short tie-sections may be secured 'to support the rails and tie them to the conduit.

The foregoing give the general features of my improvements; but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the specific details thus enumerated.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of car with motor and showing the conduit. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the ring-frame and contact-shoes ofthe collector. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the current-collector; and Fig. 4 is a cross-section through the roadbed and conduit and shows the current-col! lector in elevation.

'A is the truck-frame and may be made in any manner desired. The side frames or trusses of the truck vare connected by crosslector-shoes with the motor-brushes.

bars A2 and ch C is the car-body, which may be of any suitable construction, and is supported upon the truck-frame. To prevent lateral movement of the car-body on the truck-frame, I provide guide-frames C, secured to the car-body and projecting down and spanning the cross-bars A2, which are formed with guide-bars C2, to guide the frames C vertically.

D is the motor having a connection with the axle B by gears E, and is supported on a cross-bar d of the truss-frame or truck.

F is the commutator, and f the brushes, which may be adjusted by a lever G, rod g, and lever G', arranged on the front platform.

In this application I do not claim any construction of the motor or its connection, nor the car or its truck, as such matters form subject-matter of my application, Serial No.

225,498, led January 26, 1887, of which this is a division.

The collector II hereA shown is formed like an independent truck adapted to run above are insulated. The guards are secured at thev top to a ring-frame I, and are preferably connected at the bottom by a link I2 for stability. The rin g-frame I is supported in the circular framel H of the collector, which is supported on the wheel J. (See Fig. 3.) By this means the contact-shoes may as an entirety move on a vertical axis and the entire collector move laterally to follow the 'variations in the line of the slot of the conduit. The collector II is connected to the truck-frame by hingebar h, as shown in Fig. l; but I do not limit myself to any particular form of connection.

R is the motor-circuit and connects the colprovided with a resistance-changer o, con- It is i trolled from the front of the car by a lever S.

The motor may be cut out by a switch T, clos-` circuit.

The conduit K is formed of rolled-metal slot-irons L L and rolled orsheet metal quarter-sections N N, forming a sheet-metal trough M, which is preferably open longitudinally, as at m, by inserting washers between the flanges of the parts N Naud putting the rivets or bolts through said washers. This bottom opening allows the water in the conduit to pass oif all along the roadway. The trough M is riveted to the slot-irons L, and the conduit with a slot at top and bottom thus formed is supported by cast-iron brackets O, arranged at intervals apart. The sheet-metal tube forming the conduit is thus seen to be complete without the brackets, but is strengthened thereby and also maintained in place. The working-conductors 7c k within the said conduit are preferably arranged obliquely to receive the oblique contact-shoes z' of the collector, as shown in Fig. 4. The short crosstie sections P are secured to the brackets O, fitting into recesses, and the rails Q are supported on the tie-sections. By this means the conduit is held in proper position with reference to the track-rails, and vice versa. By forming the conduit with a metallic bottom the dirt collecting therein may be scraped out without the least injury to the construction.

The foregoing is a general description of the details of construction illustrated; but, as I have before stated, these details are given simply as one method of carrying tho invention into effect, and I do not in any wise limit myself to the details herein set out.

Y Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters VPatent, is-

1. In an electric railway, a slotted conduit, a working-conductor in said conduit, an electrically-propelled vehicle, a` collectontruck independent of the vehicle-wheels connected to said vehicle, and a currentcollecting device extending down from said truck through the slot and making contact with the conductor.

2. In an electric railway, a slotted conduit, a working-conductor in said conduit, an electrically-propelled vehicle, a collector-truck independent of the vehicle-wheels connected to said vehicle and capable of lateral movement, and current-collecting devices extend ing down from said truck through the slot and making contact with the conductor.

In an electric railway, a slotted conduit, a` working-conductor in said conduit, an electrically-propelled vehicle, a collector-truck independent of the vehicle-wheels connected to said vehicle and capable of lateral movenient, and current-collecting devices extending down from said truck through the slot and making contact with the conductor and movable on a vertical axis.

i4. In an electric railway, a collector-truck consisting of a circular frame mounted on a supporting-wheel, a horizontal ring-frame supported by and free to rotate in said circular frame, and collector devices carried by said ring-frame.

5. In an electric railway, a collector-truck consisting of a circular frame mounted on a supporting-wheel, a horizontal ring-frame supported by and free to rotate in said circular frame, and two oblique collector devices carried by said frame diametrically opposite and having their Obliquity opposed to each other.

6. In an electric railway, a collector-truck consisting of a circular frame mounted on a supporting-wheel, a horizontal ring-frame supported by and free to rotate in said circular frame, two oblique current-collectors carried by said ring-frame diametrically opposite and having their Obliquity opposed to each other, a slotted conduit, and two oblique conductors in said conduit, the said oblique collector devices projecting through the slot and making contact with the conductors.

7. In an electric railway, a slotted conduit having slot-irons, Working-conductors within the conduit, an electrcally-propelled vehicle, a current-collector having contact devices projecting down through the slot and making contact with the conductors, and a supportingwheel for the collector running upon the slot-irons.

8. In an electric railway, the combination of a slotted conduit reent`orced at intervals by cast-iron brackets, tie-sections secured to the sides of said brackets, rails supported upon said tie-sections, whereby the rails are tied to the conduit, and a working-conductor supported within and insulated from said conduit.

9. In an electric railway, the combination of a slotted conduit formed of a longitudinal metal `tube supported at intervals by castiron brackets, tie sections secured to the sides of said brackets, rails supported upon said tie-sections, whereby the rails are tied to the conduit, and a working-conductor supported within and insulated from the said conduit.

10. In an electric railway, the combination of a slotted conduit formed of a metal tube, transverse supporting cast-iron brackets sustaining said tube at intervals, and aworkingconductor within said conduit.

11. In an electric railway, the combination of a slotted conduit formed of a metal tube consisting of two longitudinal slot-irons and a connectin g-trou gh of sheet metal, transverse supporting cast-iron brackets sustaining said tube at intervals, and a working-conductor within said conduit.

12. In an electric railway, the combination of a slotted conduit formed of a metal tube consisting of two longitudinal slot-irons and a connecting-trough of sheet metal having an open slot along its bottom, transverse sup- IIO porting cast-iron brackets sustaining said tube at intervals, and a working-conductor within said` conduit.

I3. In an electric railway, a slotted con- 5 duit-tube formed of rolled metal having,` a longitudinal slot at top and bottom, the tube being complete in itself, in combination with a Working-conductor Within said conduit.

14. The combination of the slot-irons L L,

conductor k, supporting-brackets O, tie-sec- 1o tions P, secured to said brackets, and rails Q, supported by said tie-sections.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my lia-nd.

R. M. HUNTER.

Vitnesses:

ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER, MAURICE H. HOLMES. 

